Tsushima Maru
Coordinates: 29°32′33″N 129°33′30″E / 29.5425°N 129.55833°E
| Career (Japan) | Japanese Navy Ensign |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Russell & Company, Scotland |
| In service: | December 1914 |
| Out of service: | August 22, 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk August 22 1944 by USS Bowfin |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Private cargo ship(Nippon Yusen) [1] |
| Displacement: | 6754 tons (6127 t) |
| Length: | 136 m |
Tsushima Maru (対馬丸) was a Japanese unmarked passenger/cargo ship that was sunk during World War II while carrying hundreds of schoolchildren by the submarine USS Bowfin. The ship was on her way from Okinawa to Kagoshima. On August 22, 1944, at between 10:00 pm. and 10:30 p.m. local time, the Bowfin attacked the convoy she was in and sank her close by the island of Akusekijima. [2][3] 1,484 civilians including 767 schoolchildren were killed. 59 children survived the sinking.
The ship was part of Convoy Namo 103, which consisted of the following ships:[3]
- Tsushima Maru (passenger / cargo vessel)
- Kazuura Maru (listed as Waura Maru in some sources, assumed to be a cargo vessel)
- Gyoukuu (source is unsure of transliteration) Maru (assumed to be a cargo vessel)
- IJNS Hasu (destroyer, Momi class)
- IJNS Uji (gunboat)
The crew of the USS Bowfin would not discover until 20 years later that the unmarked, unlighted passenger-cargo vessel was transporting children.[3]
Its wreck was located and identified in December 1997.
External links
References
- ↑ Tsushima maru, Retrieved 30 May 2007
- ↑ Sighted Bus, Sunk Same, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, Retrieved 30 May 2007
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tsushima Maru Sinking, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, Retrieved 30 May 2007
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